“The colder, the better,” said Michael G. Stanton, the brave soul who takes a shower on Main Street in the bitter cold temperatures of December every year to raise funds for the Wayne County Children’s Christmas Bureau. His comment, however, came late last week before the snowstorm that rolled through on Saturday, making this annual event even more interesting.

Stanton is market manager and general manager for the Pocono Lake Region of Bold Gold Media, the parent company that also owns seven radio stations in Northeast PA, the Poconos and the Catskills including Thunder 102, 93.5 DNH and Classic Hits 105.3.

So why is colder, better? “People donate faster and I get to get out [of the cold] quicker,” he explained. “So, bring it on.” And on Saturday, people did bring it on; in just three hours in 18-degree temperatures, Stanton raised more than $21,000 for the charity. “All of it, 100%, goes to the Children’s Christmas fund,” he said.

How does he stand it? “It’s kind of a mental challenge,” he admitted, “but then I think how there are some kids who are cold all winter, and I know that I can stand to be cold for a few hours.”

Stanton recalls one year when “the wind chill was zero and there was ice in my hair.” Chances are he’ll also always remember this year, because it’s the first time he’s faced a full-on snowstorm.

For him, the bottom line is this: “I don’t think any kids should have a bad Christmas regardless of the cause—if their parents are out of work, or even if they’re just deadbeat, looser parents spending all their money on cigarettes and booze, leaving their kids asking for warm socks or a jacket for Christmas.”

When it was all over, Stanton was only too happy to get into a warm jacket and go home to a warm house and to think about the youngsters who will be helped by the Children’s Christmas Bureau.

Even though his annual shower on Main Street is over for this year, donations are still being accepted. Call Joanne at Bold Gold Media in Honesdale at 570/253-1616.